Here at Whitman I am a member of both Sociology and Environmental Studies. Within the field of Environmental Sociology I am particularly interested in the intersection of social inequality (e.g. gender, race, class) and environmental problems. This area is also known as environmental justice. I frequently teach Environmental Sociology (Soc 309) and Citizenship and Leadership (ENVS 479) the Senior Seminars for Environmental Studies, and the Intro to Environmental Studies (ENVS 120). I also teach advanced seminar courses like Environmental Justice (Soc 353) and Environmental Social Movements (Soc 349).

Over the past ten years I have published and taught in the areas of environmental sociology, gender and environment, race and environment, climate change, sociology of culture, social movements and sociology of emotions. I currently have two active areas of research 1) work on the social organization of denial (especially regarding climate change), and 2) environmental justice work with Native American Tribes on the Klamath River. Both these areas of scholarship have been nationally recognized through the award of research grants, speaking invitations, and coverage of my research by high profile media outlets including the Washington Post, National Geographic, British Broadcasting System, and National Public Radio. My book Living in Denial: Climate Change, Emotions and Political Economy is coming out with MIT Press in the Spring of 2011.

Klamath Environmental Justice Research and the Klamath Field Institute

Climate Change Denial Research

I’ve received several awards for my scholarship (Pacific Sociological Association’s Distinguished Practice Award for 2005 and the Outstanding Graduate Student Paper Award for the American Sociological Association Section on Environment and Technology in 2003). If you want to learn other things about me, check out my C.V.

I enjoy being outdoors, especially hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, skiing (both telemark and cross country) — and pretty much any excuse I can get to sleep on the ground. In case you haven’t discovered it, Whitman has a great outdoor program: www.whitman.edu/outdoor_program

If you are over there you may run into my husband, Sam “Salmon” Norgaard-Stroich.

I am an active member of the American Sociological Association section on Environment and Technology. If you are interested in learning more about environmental sociology you can check out their web page: http://envirosoc.org

E-mail Kari Norgaard
norgaakm@whitman.edu